Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council escalated after a Saudi delegation was denied entry into Yemen’s southern city of Aden on January 1. Riyadh said a plane carrying senior officials was refused landing clearance at Aden International Airport on the orders of separatist leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi, who allegedly shut the airport’s airspace. Saudi officials warned the move undermines coordination within the anti-Houthi bloc and threatens regional stability. The incident comes amid growing Saudi-UAE friction, separatist territorial expansion in southern Yemen, and recent strikes linked to alleged UAE-backed weapons caches.
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